Hi I practice 2 hours every day in timed segments of 10 /18 or 20 minutes for each lick /piece /whatever I am working on. I have been practicing consecutively for 69 days today (Covid jab sickness for 2 days ruined a better run) .
today I noticed a downturn in ability accuracy and speed in a few pieces /licks which led to a detriment of 10 to 15% loss of progress ,speed in some pieces .
the stuff I’m working on is not what would be considered shred. Just some of the faster /trickier Slash licks in various Solo’s Or licks like them , that give me trouble .
I practice these pieces against examples that are slowed down and Also use a metronome to isolate some areas that prove demanding .
overall I’m still better than I was a week or probably a fortnight ago ,looking at my records (daily diary with notes ) and I am more or less managing to stay detached from these negative results , trying not to see it as a competition with myself (the book “the practicing mind) Thomas M sterner )
I have resolved to slow down the speed for my problem areas tomorrow and work on accuracy /clean playing .
Although I can see the trap I’m falling into of judging my outcome on past days progress , it can be a bit of a let down to see a sudden dip in your results ,especially after a few previous days gains.
I know this all seems rather clinical but I have a goal to be able to play the stuff I really want to play to a gigging level ,instead of settling for easier stuff . I am much better than I used to be but still falling short , but am hoping if I keep this up for a few years I may be able to achieve my goals or even exceed them . I would like one day to be nearly up to the level of
@fastonebaz and other players on here .
I am hoping that now being over 50 will not impede my progress , but from what I’ve seen in sustained consecutive practice it is possible to make vast improvements in the last 69 days .
as an aside I have slipped into a habit the last 4 or 5 days of going to bed quite late instead of my usual early to bed routine , this may have taken its toll , especially reading the iPad when going to bed ,which I had previously got out the habit of .
anyway , who else has recently or in the past experienced this disconcerting dip in ability .
hope this was the right place to post this . It’s kinda to do with technique
Comments
Aging is such a weird thing - we all know we can't fight the process but nonetheless most of us still live in denial. People may say that 50 is no age these days compared to our parents/grandparents generations, but I believe past 40 the aging process starts to kick in and I reckon it's still around 50-ish when you start to really feel the effect.
Sleep does make a huge difference when it comes to cognitive skills, and again this becomes more important as you get old. I noticed in my mid 50's I could fall asleep in the middle of the day almost to order, something I could never have done even ten years before.
Ok I'm quite a bit older than you but the idea of over two months constant practice is unthinkable and to me would definitely be counter productive. I'd try sticking in a few rest days to give that part of your brain a rest.
In the past five years I’ve slowed down tremendously, but my time feel and relationship to music and phrasing has gotten a lot better.
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Got to agree with Neill about the ageing process and the lessening effects of physical deterioration and cognitive reduction.
18-20 mins for each piece/lick/riff? I can spend that time (even longer) just trying to tune up/fiddle with my guitars action.
In my sixties now so just happy to be able to strum some chords and play the odd riff....not as well as I'd like to. Just wish that I started learning scales around 40 years ago.
Slowed problem areas down Observed problem areas ,isolated the, and worked them up to speed, and have seen increase in accuracy and neatly back to my best .
in other areas I made a good gain in progress on one piece so very pleased.
also am having some bad withdrawal from strong anti depressants as I forgot to order them so waiting for my prescription (which I have now put in ) to arrive . Can make you feel quite strange ,dizzy etc. So bearing in mind I’m absolutely elated with today’s session.
thanks all for your input and don’t despair if you are older , your brain still keeps making myelin
which is kinda like the insulation on your neural pathways which as it builds up can help neutrons travel faster And better which is a key factor in building up new skills
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at gigs.. i will be a few bars before a solo and completely forget where i need to even start the solo... but my muscle memory kicks in right on the first note.
You need to give it time to embed in the practice cycle.